To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the forecast costs are for maintaining websites within the Cabinet Office's responsibility in the 2006-07 financial year. (102765)

The forecast cost for the 2006-07 financial year for Cabinet Office websites is £690,000 (including VAT). This includes:

web hosting and infrastructure leasing;

security auditing and software;

domain name registration and renewal;

application development and maintenance;

software licences and renewals; and

telecommunications rental and usage.

The cost of maintaining Directgov, which covers services across government, for 2006-07 is forecast as £5,300,000.

The figures shown are based on actual costs up to the end of October, and cost estimates for the remainder of the financial year. Final costs for 2006-07 will be available from April 2007.

As the primary electronic channel to citizens for government, Directgov aims to be the one place citizens turn to for the latest and widest range of public services. Directgov supports services on the web via www.direct.gov.uk, digital television (DTV) via Sky, ntl: and Telewest, and is available via mobile phones. Independent research has shown high levels of customer satisfaction, far exceeding the average rating for a government on-line service and on a par with the commercial sector.